Tech

I didn't think jumping from 144 to 320 Hz would make this big of a difference

Febspot

11 Jun 2026 • 1 min read

Source: Pcgamer

The Alienware AW2525HM cuts back on size and pixel density to prioritise a 320 Hz refresh rate and snappy response time. That trade-off is aimed at competitive FPS players and comes with an enticing price tag of $250 / £200. The monitor pairs a 25-inch, 1920 x 1080 IPS panel with HDR10 (no VESA cert).

Moving from a 144 Hz IPS monitor to 320 Hz felt surreal: flicking my aim was incredibly smooth, and I saw animations and enemy movement more quickly. For competitive FPS gaming, the difference is more than noticeable. Motion clarity, however, isn't perfect. The AW2525HM shows more blur from slow pixel colour changes than models that use backlight strobing, and the UFO test revealed a definite blur.

Overdrive settings showed little contrast, so I kept the middle option to avoid inverse ghosting. Other strengths include a genuinely useful darkness stabiliser on its lower setting and a surprisingly pleasant HDR experience after calibration.

alienware, aw2525hm, 320 hz, 144 hz, 25-inch, 1920x1080, ips panel, hdr10, response time, competitive fps

Sign up for more like this.